as in tortured
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as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to
he was tormented by nightmares about the accident
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Recent Examples of tormented
Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
She is tormented by the fact that the june bug seems entirely unconcerned about becoming bait or being deported.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
But Jane isn't exactly tormented by the outcome.
—H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
In Thomas Bernhard’s The Loser, Wertheimer, tormented by encountering a genius in the form of fellow piano student Glenn Gould, gives up his dreams of performing and moves in with his sister.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Cuba’s economy, already hollowed out by mismanagement, communist economic ideology, sanctions, and the end of subsidized oil from Venezuela, is now tormented by island-wide blackouts and food shortages.
—Sarah Fitzpatrick, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2026
Murphy shed weight to become the wiry, brilliant theoretical physicist tormented by his own creation, the atomic bomb.
—Seth Doane, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
The biggest distinction between the two displays came in the form of an exciting young winger who tormented Wolverhampton Wanderers’ back line last night.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Nigel Pack has tormented Texas since his days at Miami, when the Hurricanes eliminated Texas in an Elite Eight matchup in 2023.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
Verb
As Amadeus’ brilliance continues to flourish in spite of his personal demons, a questionable reputation and scepticism from the conservative court, Salieri becomes increasingly tormented by this apparent divine gift.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
She is tormented by the fact that the june bug seems entirely unconcerned about becoming bait or being deported.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
But Jane isn't exactly tormented by the outcome.
—H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
In Thomas Bernhard’s The Loser, Wertheimer, tormented by encountering a genius in the form of fellow piano student Glenn Gould, gives up his dreams of performing and moves in with his sister.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Cuba’s economy, already hollowed out by mismanagement, communist economic ideology, sanctions, and the end of subsidized oil from Venezuela, is now tormented by island-wide blackouts and food shortages.
—Sarah Fitzpatrick, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2026
Murphy shed weight to become the wiry, brilliant theoretical physicist tormented by his own creation, the atomic bomb.
—Seth Doane, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
The biggest distinction between the two displays came in the form of an exciting young winger who tormented Wolverhampton Wanderers’ back line last night.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Nigel Pack has tormented Texas since his days at Miami, when the Hurricanes eliminated Texas in an Elite Eight matchup in 2023.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tormented
Adjective
-
The getaway spirals into terror when Katie (Charli xcx) becomes possessed by a violent, tortured spirit (Mizuhara), unleashing a nightmare steeped in Japanese horror tradition.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2026
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Henshall is a hoot as the tortured inspector, though the series has recently taken on a new dimension with the addition of Ashley Jensen (so brilliant in Ricky Gervais’ Hollywood satire, Extras) as the formidable DI Ruth Calder.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Whereas Phoebe lacks inhibitions, Valerie is plagued by them, and the contrasting sitcom formats of Friends (multi-cam) and The Comeback (mockumentary) call for totally different performance styles.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Lack of depth also plagued — a contrast from last year, when the four-line threat was huge.—
Greg Cote
April 6,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Elizabeth Banks is Lindy Littlejohn, a seriously frustrated writer, unhappily if tumultuously married to Les (Matthew Macfadyen), a brilliant scientist.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
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But for everything Gates said that might appeal to a frustrated Democrat like me, his Huntington Beach braggadocio continually won out.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Eduiot site includes photographs and audiovisual material, and features the accounts of parents, siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces of Jews persecuted and disappeared under the dictatorship.—
Juan Melamed,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
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The helpless and much persecuted turtles were cooked in a rich, creamy soup with chunks of meat.—
James Stout,
Outside,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In past times of tension and conflict, Iran has at times harassed shipping though the narrows, and during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, both sides attacked tankers and other vessels, using naval mines to completely shut down traffic at points.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
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In past times of tension and conflict, Iran has at times harassed shipping though the narrows, and during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, both sides attacked tankers and other vessels, using naval mines to completely shut down traffic at points.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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It is usually only afflicted by slugs, which can be easily managed, or crown rot due to overwatering.—
Natalia Gonzalez Blanco Serrano,
The Spruce,
5 Apr. 2026
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In the months following surgery, many women are afflicted by post-mastectomy pain syndrome, or PMPS, which spans from uncomfortable to disabling and can last years.—
Brett Kelman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Early on, the Biden team had been besieged with desperate pleas to ship more of the then scarce vaccine.—
David Blumenthal,
STAT,
24 Mar. 2026
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When news circulated about the gathering, Temple Emanu-El was besieged with inquiries from the local media.—
Joshua M. Davidson,
New York Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Why is any of this happening in person, rather than over harried texts?—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
-
During their harried getaway, Rodriguez crashed the scooter a few blocks away.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tormented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tormented. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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